Alumni Profiles

With more than 27,000 graduates since its inception in 1972, the School of Business at NAIT has trained many highly successful businesspeople who went on to great careers throughout the world. Meet some of them and hear their stories about how their NAIT education helped them succeed.

Brian Wruk, Business Administration – Management 1984

For Canadians moving to the U.S., or Americans considering Canada, there’s probably no better resource than Brian Wruk (Business Administration – Management ’84). After all, he wrote the book on the subject – 2 of them, actually.

Jaenelle Cardinal, Business Administration – Management 2015

Jaenelle Cardinal believes that one day she'll run her own construction firm. And she sees NAIT as playing a key role in helping her achieve that goal. When it came to choosing where to study, the Edmonton woman knew the polytechnic was the right fit for her.

Jay Downton, Business Administration – Finance 2002

Jay Downton is co-founder of the Nation Network (which includes the popular OilersNation.com), president of Oodle Noodle, and now he's helped open Little Brick Café and General Store. He credits NAIT with teaching him what he needed to know to get into business.

Pat Laforge, Business Administration - Marketing '74

Former Edmonton Oilers' President and CEO, Patrick Laforge is a huge fan of NAIT. In fact, he credits his diploma in Business Administration – Marketing '74 with launching his exciting career. We sat down with Pat in the Oilers' dressing room to get his thoughts on entrepreneurship, leadership and innovation. He candidly shared his own career wins and losses.